Integration of the Graduate School and GPE, Carini Appointed Vice Provost for AI and Institutional Research

Baylor Faculty and Staff:

I want to share an important update regarding the future of graduate and professional education at Baylor University. Effective August 1, 2025, the Graduate School and Graduate and Professional Education (GPE) will be strategically integrated into a single entity under the leadership of the Graduate Dean. With the upcoming retirements of Dr. Larry Lyon in August and Dr. Gary Carini in July 2026 — and the August arrival of Dr. Michael Young as the incoming Graduate Dean — this is a timely opportunity to unify our graduate education work and align with a common organizational structure found within Research 1 universities.

Additionally, I’m pleased to announce that Dr. Carini has been appointed as Vice Provost for Artificial Intelligence and Institutional Research, also effective August 1. Dr. Carini has a long history of innovation and purposefully building new programs and initiatives at Baylor, and in this new role, he will lead the University’s strategic efforts in the rapidly evolving field of AI, collaborating with stakeholders across campus and within the broader community.

I want to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Carini for his outstanding leadership in shaping Baylor’s Graduate Professional Education program. Under his guidance, graduate professional education has become an area of strength and success for Baylor, generating approximately $500 million in tuition revenue — including $93.8 million in the past year alone. His vision, dedication and collaboration across academic units have laid a strong foundation for Baylor’s next chapter of graduate education.

This strategic integration is designed to strengthen our support for graduate and professional programs across the University, and we remain committed to maintaining GPE’s core strengths and successes as well as the outstanding work of this team. I specifically want to recognize and applaud the support and coordination with the Hankamer School of Business, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences, School of Education, the Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, the Louise Herrington School of Nursing, the George W. Truett Seminary, and the School of Engineering and Computer Science.

In the coming weeks, we will share additional details regarding organizational structure, key points of contact and opportunities for meaningful collaboration across academic units.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work together to continue our elevation of graduate and professional education at Baylor.

Sincerely,

Nancy Brickhouse, Ph.D.
Provost